


Breathe for me

by Nomberr



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Asthma Attacks, Bad Jokes, CPR, Crushes, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Oblivious Ryan Bergara, Ryan to the rescue, Shane has asthma, Stupid Boys, just like a drabble tbh, kinda intense at first but its soft mostly, short and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 12:25:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18851038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nomberr/pseuds/Nomberr
Summary: Shane has asthma, something he never felt was important enough to mention to his overly anxious co-host.That is until he forgets his inhaler while on a case and things go terribly awry.Or, bad puns and oblivious boys.





	Breathe for me

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is like, mostly just a quick lil drabble so I didn't put much thought into it so it's not quite up to par with some of the other stuff I've written but I just decided to post it anyway! Hope you like!

To say that I hate this, was an understatement.

I can’t fucking stand this place.

It was dark, cold, damp, and it smelled like shit. Absolute shit. Not to mention unbearably creepy. It was like a perfect example of what you would see in a horror movie. An old abandoned hospital, falling apart to the point where the whole building looked like it was sagging down, drooping into itself like any moment it would collapse in and bury all of us inside. The whole place looked unsafe, most of the actual hospital items and furniture were still in place, now covered in mold and dust and lots of unknown substances that I’m sure I’m glad I can’t identify. The whole place seemed like it was plucked right out of my nightmares. Which of course meant it was a perfect place to shoot.

“Hmm…homey!” Shane proclaimed as soon as we stepped inside, glancing around the dark lobby. I rolled my eyes so far back in my head I swear I could see my brain, likely shrinking in size due to the idiocy of my fellow ghost hunter, who was grinning and cracking jokes like the damn fool that he is. He strode over the front desk and rang the bell sitting on the counter, looking disappointed when it didn’t ring.

“It’s been sitting there since the 50’s what were you expecting?” I chided, turning on my flashlight and flicking it around the room, noticing just how disgusting the place looked. In the corner of the room, there was a heavy leak dripping from the ceiling, leaving a puddle of dirt and grimy water pooling around a set of old fashioned wooden chairs. I wrinkled my nose in distaste and Shane just gave a slight shrug, looking back at me.

“Dunno, some decent customer service would be nice.” He deadpanned, making it appear as if it were a serious inquiry. I tried to glare back for a moment, extend the bit, but I couldn’t help but giggle, my lips upturning into a familiar smile. Shane chuckled and turned away again, glancing around the room, clearing his throat. “So uh, not that we haven’t been so some real shitholes before, but this place seems especially gross.”

“Yeah, I know,” TJ responded, carefully unloading camera equipment onto the damp ground with Devon, he groaned as he stepped in a pile of damp leaves. “We were supposed to go to this cool hotel, but it fell through last minute-“

I stopped listening to the conversation, already knowing the events leading up to our current predicament. Instead, my eyes drifted to Shane, who was nodding slightly as TJ spoke. ‘ _He would have known about the hotel if he would pay more attention in meetings.’_ I thought bitterly, remembering how despondent he had been as of recently. The whole plane ride here he acted as if he was on another damn planet. My eyes flicked to his hand which was now resting on his chest, rubbing small circles in the center. He cleared his throat again, his chest shuddering beneath his fingers. His eyes flicked up to me and I tore my gaze away, looking at TJ who had his eyes fixated on me, eyebrows raised expectantly. I flushed pink.

“Oh what?- Sorry” I laughed a bit, a harsh breathy sound. ‘ _Jeez, it’s stuffy in here’._ TJ rolled his eyes and I blushed, feeling a bit harsh for judging Shane, seems like we all might be a bit out of it today.

“I asked if you were ready to get started?” I nodded, apologizing again and going to grab my equipment, finding it a bit hard to catch my breath as I pulled out my mic packs.

God this place sucks.

 

The shoot went on as usual. Shane had developed a bit of a cough, stopping to clear his throat so frequently that TJ just about lost his mind having to reshoot transition shots. It was easy to understand why though, the smell of mold was unbearably strong, especially as we headed downstairs into the basement, and it reeked of the heavy moist scent. Shane looked almost nauseated as we descended the rickety steps, our shoes squeaking against the old wood.

“You alright?” I stopped halfway down the stairwell, noticing how shitty Shane was looking. He was pale, well paler than usual, and was gripping the guard rail like a lifeline. He cleared his throat again and shrugged, a halfhearted movement.

“Just, not a fan of the smell. But I’ve dealt with worse, I’ve had to share hotel rooms with you for the past millennia.” He grinned, elbowing me in the arm, I scoffed and swatted him away.

“Asshole”

“Love you too.” He leaned down, making kissing sounds in my ear and I yelped ducking down and away from him, putting my arms up in defense. He laughed, so loud I could feel the stairs shake beneath my boots. His laugh was interrupted by a coughing fit, he grabbed the rail again, hunching over and struggling to catch his breath. I stood up, placing a hand on his arm, then decided that was weird and clasped them together.

“Shane seriously if you’re not feeling well-“Shane swatted me away before I could even finish, standing up straight. He cleared his throat, but it sounded rough and strained.

“Nothing cough drops can’t fix, c’ mon” I opened my mouth to protest but he was already bounding down the stairs, ignoring me as I continued to argue that we should leave if he was getting sick. _‘Not listening, again!’_ I tried to not let it bother me as we made it to the basement, it was colder down here, goosebumps raised up on my arms as I flicked my flashlight on, shuddering. It was smaller than I expected, full of mostly empty boxes and a few abandoned gurneys leaned against the wall. The eerie vibe combined with the chill made me shiver, my shaking hands gripping my camera. I turned my focus to Shane who was rummaging through his backpack for the cough drops. He was frowning, brows knitted together in worry. Seems like he forgot them, probably not paying attention again.

Eventually, he gave up looking for the cough drops and we began shooting, using the spirit box to investigate the alleged most haunted area in the house. We didn’t pick up much and switched it off, the silence in the room suddenly deafening. It was pierced by me and Shane’s ragged breathing, mine shaking due to nerves, him due his sore throat. I swallowed hard and winced as Shane turned his flashlight into my face, shielding my eyes. “Dude!”

“Sorry” His voice was hoarse, he moved the flashlight down and chuckled. “Ready for the individuals?” I looked around the dark room, worry prickling up my spine, my breath audibly hitched and he chuckled, noticing my audible panic. “I’ll go first it’s fine.” But it didn’t look fine- he looked like shit.

So he did, I darted up the stairs and gave him a brief wave before clicking the door shut. Shortly after I could hear him shouting at the spirits, earning a chuckle from Devon and TJ who were packing up. They went out to the car to start getting ready to leave, so I remained alone in the dark maintenance room at the top of the stairs. I glanced nervously at the timer on my phone, wishing simultaneously that it would hurry up and slow down all at once. Finally, after what felt like forever, the alarm rang out and I opened the door, shouting for Shane to come back up, there was no response.

“Shane I’m not falling for it, c’ mon we gotta go!” I waited, still hearing nothing. I scoffed, knowing damn well if I went down there he was going to scare the shit out of me. I stepped in and out of the doorway, feet unsure of what to do when I heard something. A small gasp, so quiet I barely noticed it. It was an odd little sound like someone had broken a squeaky toy. Except that squeaky toy sounded a lot like Shane.

I bolted down the steps, forgetting to turn on my flashlight like a dumbass and tripped over something, hitting the concrete floor hard, my elbow exploding in pain. I groaned and sat up, grabbing my phone and flicking it on, I looked back at what I tripped on. It was Shane, he was huddled at the bottom of the steps, 18 mile long legs stretched out and obstructing the steps like a tree that fell down in a busy street.

“Shane-“ His eyes flicked to me, wide and surprised, he opened his mouth as if to speak but only this terrible raspy sound came out. He coughed, squeezing his eyes shut, curling in on himself. I crawled forward, grabbing his arm tight, fingers gripping him in concern. “Shane dude what the hell did you fall-“ He was shaking his head, hand coming up and tapping his chest a few times, his breaths rushing out desperate and shaky, my eyes widened. “Shit-“

“Ryan, Shane, where are you guys at?” TJ’s voice called out from upstairs. I got up to get help but Shane grabbed at my shirt pulling me back down weakly. My chest twisted as I looked down at him, his eyes were wide and terrified, grasping onto me as if he needed me to survive- poor choice of words, considering at this moment he likely does.

“Down here! TJ somethings wrong with Shane he-!” I felt Shane’s hand slip from my shirt and he slumped against the stairs, terror shot through every inch of my being, I crouched down grabbing his shoulders, shaking him frantically. “Shane!” He was unconscious. Fuck. “Shane c’ mon!” My voice cracked, gripping the fabric of his shirt in my fists. I could hear TJ curse from above me and rush out of the room, I didn’t even look at him, my eyes fixated on Shane, his face looked like it was going blue. My stomach lurched as I leaned down, ear held above his mouth, there was no sound, no breath exiting his chest. “Shit! Guys, he’s not breathing!” My hands were shaking, reaching up and grabbing his head in my hands, my hands carefully wrapping along his jaw and behind his ears, tilting his head back.

 _‘C’ mon dumbass you were a lifeguard you should know how to do this’_ I crawled over him, one knee pressed against his armpit and one crossing over his stomach and landing at his unmoving ribs, basically straddling him. I leaned down, trying to steady my own breath as I tilted his head back. I struggled to remember the frequency of the breaths- god I really should have paid attention in that CPR class. I swallowed hard and leaned down, pressing our mouths together. I wrapped my lips firmly around his, “creating a seal” as the instructor told us. I exhaled heavily, feeling his chest raise beneath my thigh. I leaned back, shakily counting.

_One-one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand, four one-thousand._

I leaned down, letting out another long breath. My hands were quivering.

_One-one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand-_

“C’ mon Shane breathe for me. C’mon” My voice was shaking and desperate, thumbs digging into his cheeks. I leaned back down, another breath and nothing. My heart felt like it was going to lurch out of my chest. “Please baby breathe!” I cried out, not even registering what I was saying as it left my lips.  I bit back my embarrassment and gave him another breath, praying to every god I could think of as I felt his chest swell beneath me. Nothing. I was sweating, despite how cold the room was, TJ called out something from upstairs but I couldn’t hear him. I couldn’t hear anything but my own voice counting.

_One-one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand, four one-thousand-_

Just as our mouths collided again I felt his chest jerk and sputter beneath me, I leaned back as he began to cough, gasping and wheezing beneath my grip. I rolled off him, grabbing his arms and trying to pull him up to his feet, he stumbled and gasped, sinking against me.

“Ryan wait for-“. His voice crackled in my ear, grabbing onto my shoulders for support. I grabbed him right below the armpits and heaved him up, leaning his weight against me and began clambering up the steps, his feet weren’t cooperating so I leaned down and hooked a hand under his legs, lifting him up bridal style. He gasped, the giant man obviously surprised by the sudden suspension off the ground. He didn’t protest however, he wrapped an arm around my neck and leaned his head back, breathing in loud heavy breaths until we got upstairs. Devon nearly shrieked when she saw us she grabbed a chair pulling it around so I could put him down, he leaned back, bewildered, I looked at him, hands resting lightly on his knees.

“What the hell happened!? You weren’t breathing I thought you were-“ Words tumbled out of me, fast and jumbled, “Jesus Christ!” He looked at me with wide eyes, mouth held slightly open as he breathed. I stopped talking and huffed, wiping my forehead with my arm, Devon grimaced and I looked at my elbow, which was covered in blood and dirt. Devon scuttled off to get me a bandage and I was left with Shane, who was shocked into silence. I flashed him another hard look. “Well!?”

He didn’t respond for what felt like eons, before a smile slipped onto his thin lips, still pink and puffy from the mouth to mouth. “I guess you took my breath away.”

The joke simmered for a moment, taking its time registering in my mind. Suddenly it clicked and I groaned, leaning my forehead against his leg, his body shook as he laughed, before breaking again into coughs, my gaze jerked up, wide and worried. He swallowed hard and sighed, his attempt at humor slipping away.

“Look sorry I should have said something when I forgot it I just didn’t think I would need it, but the mold was a bit much I guess-“ I stopped him before he could finish.

“Forgot what?” He looked at me, eyebrow raised in confusion.

“My inhaler”

“Your inha-“ Realization struck me hard, my mouth fell open. “You-“ His eyes widened in turn.

“Oh, shit have I not told you-“ His mouth slid into a smile, laughing at his own incompetence. I shook my head in disbelief.

“You’re telling me- Stop just-“ He was laughing too much for me to talk, I swatted at his leg, he pressed a hand to his mouth, trying to restrain his laughter. “You’re telling me! You-you have been going to these old, dusty, moldy locations…with asthma!?”

“Severe asthma actually, although you could probably guess that much” He chuckled but I wasn’t laughing, I was giving a harsh glare that likely would make Mrs. Bergara extremely proud.

“Shane this isn’t funny, you could have died you know that right?” My voice shook, just in the slightest. I wish it wouldn’t. His humorous expression faltered, just for a moment before smiling again.

“Well I mean- I didn’t-“

“But you could have!”

“But-“

“No!” My fingers dug into his knee, I didn’t mean too, my body jerked in small frustrated movements. “You were turning blue in there asshole, you scared the shit out of me!” My voice quivered and I paused, fluttering my eyes shut for a moment. Shane leaned forward and placed his hand on top of mine, a small comforting gesture, he leaned down a bit, speaking softer now, his brows furrowed in worry.

“Hey look Ryan c’ mon” He squeezed my hand, I loosened my grip on his knee, looking up at him, knowing I was probably tearing up like the mess that I am. He shook his head just slightly. “I’m sorry, I was stupid not telling you to look-“ He removed his hand from mine and held them up, doing jazz hands. “Here’s my stupid idiot dance alright!” He made this really stupid expression and I shook my head, unable to resist the smile that slid onto my lips.

“Alright, I get it, stop you look like a dumbass.” I grabbed onto the chair and pulled myself to my feet, Shane looked like he was going to stand and I gave him a harsh glare, he put his hands up in defeat and sunk further into the old leather, coughing as dust flew out of the worn fabric. I glanced to the lobby, the door was open where TJ was standing talking into the phone, likely calling 911, he glanced at me and I gave a thumbs up, he let out an audible noise of relief and I chuckled, looking back at Shane. While I wasn’t looking his eyes had fluttered shut and he was taking deep breaths, obviously struggling a bit.

“Need me to carry you outside?” I was half joking, but I would do it if he needed me too. However now that the adrenaline was gone I wasn’t sure I’d be able to successfully make it to the door, still no harm in trying. He laughed and shook his head a bit.

“As much as I appreciate you going full prince charming on me, this respiratorily challenged princess can handle herself.” Shane groaned as he struggled to pull himself out of the chair, I hooked an arm around him and offered my support, walking him toward the fresh outside air.

“I called off the ambulance, we’re just gonna drive you to the hospital is that alright?” TJ inquired as Shane and Iappeared from the lobby, Shane grimaced.

“Do we really have to-“

“Yes!” Devon answered before I got the chance too, appearing at the doorway with a bandage. “You could have like- brain damage or something!” At that my eyes flicked nervously to Shane who just laughed, his whole body shaking from the effort.

“Don’t freak Ryan out anymore then he already is Dev, we’re gonna have two unconscious ghost hunters on our hands.” TJ snorted, his eyes flicked to me, narrowing as if thinking about something. “Dev I need help with something in the car-“ Dev shot him an odd look and he raised his eyebrows as if being fed a cue Devon nods and scampers off after Teej. I went to shoot Shane a confused look but he looked distracted, staring off into space. I let out a small sigh and looked down at the camera strapped to my chest, oddly enough it was still recording. Shane looked back at me, mouth open as if he was going to speak when he too noticed the camera.

“No way” He exclaimed, a smile spreading onto his thin lips. “Did you get the whole thing on film?”

“Must’ve” I start taking the camera off my chest when a chilling realization hits me.

_Oh shit._

“You know we probably couldn’t put the whole thing in- but it would be a thrilling addition to the episode, give the audience a spook.” He grinned a wicked smile, but I didn’t smile back, I’m sure I had turned 50 shades of pink. He frowned, tilting his head. “Well I mean we don’t have too-“

“No it’s fine I just- I’ll edit it. I’m sure the footage is pretty intense.” He gave me a strange look but shrugged, turning back toward the dirt pathway leading to the street. Devon and TJ had yet to return, but I didn’t notice. I had the camera out now, flipping through the footage, praying it didn’t record-

_Damn it._

Just as I thought it had been on the whole time, including when I was giving him CPR.

_Breathe baby._

I hadn’t meant to say it- just slipped out.  Wouldn’t ever call Shane something like that- not on purpose I just-

“You alright?” Shane must have noticed my disdain. I forced a fake smile onto my lips, fiddling with the camera, he glanced down at it and tilted his head. “We don’t have to- You can just delete it if you want.” His eyes flicked down at the footage playing on the screen, grimacing a bit as he viewed his comatose state, I quickly flicked off the camera and sighed, bracing myself.

“When you were- out. Were you able to like…know what was going on?” I tried to keep my voice calm, averting my gaze from his, focusing instead on a stray string on my coat.

“Well I mean kinda- I was a little too busy going into shock to really pay attention.” I let out a silent ‘ _Thank you’_ to the gods above and nodded clearing my throat.

“Cool just wondering-“

“Although I did hear something kinda strange-“

_FUCK._

“O-oh?” My voice cracked. I cursed just about anything and anyone I could, my face turning beat red. I turned to face my co-host, a bad choice as I probably looked look I got caught in the act. Which I didn’t- I can’t get caught doing something that I didn’t do. I mean technically I did do it but I didn’t mean anything by it-

“Ryan.” Shane’s voice cut through my cascading thoughts, I swear my heart stopped beating. I looked up, meeting his eyes, swallowing the large lump that seemed to suddenly leap into my throat.

“Look I-“

“Dude relax you look like your heads gonna explode, like full Mary Reeser style” He made an exploding gesture with his hands and I let out a strained chuckle.

“I’m not gonna-“ he looked like his eyes were bulging out of his head, it was ridiculous. A real laugh slipped out of my mouth, bordering on a wheeze. “I’m not gonna explode.”

“Yeah okay, well I can’t do CPR so try not to do anything like that.”

“Yeah I’ll just-“  I snorted. “I’ll try my best not to explode”

We both laughed, the sound cut through the quiet sounds of the night time, it was good, drowning out the sound of the pounding in my chest.

“Yeah but also like-“ Shane leaned against the doorframe, seeming tired from the bout of laughter. His face faltered, just slightly. He gestured, a small awkward jerk of his hand. “Seriously don’t like ever pass out or break something cause I would be no help at all- I would just-“ He noticed how weird his hand looked and tucked it behind his head instead. “I would probably just lose my shit. I wouldn’t know how to deal with all-“ He trailed off, a cough rising in his chest that he muffled with his sleeve. I felt a pang in my chest, I was tempted to cough as well.

“Nah you’d be fine-“

“No, really I would just.” He releases a long exhale. “I’d be a mess. I don’t know how you kept so calm like, I would have shit myself.”

“Calm! Dude, I don’t even know how I didn’t shit myself! Hell maybe I did and I was so freaked out I didn’t notice.”

“Knew I smelled something funny.” Shane cast a snarky grin and we both broke back into cackling laughter. The moment was interrupted by the car horn honking, likely Devon and TJ telling us to hurry the fuck up. We both sighed at the same time, as if on cue, we looked back at each other, grinning like idiots. Leave it to us to find a way to laugh after a potentially traumatizing experience. Then again, that is kinda what we do every time we film.

“Better get going, don’t want any brain damage.” Shane started off for the car, I gave him a quick swat on the arm before sliding it under his shoulders, helping him down the steps toward the car, suddenly I skidded to a stop, almost knocking him over, he opened his mouth, likely to curse me out but I interrupted him.

“So what did you hear during the CPR?”  


“What?”

“You said you heard something strange when you passed out-“ He was staring off into the distance, fixated on something that Devon and TJ were doing. I scoffed. “Are you even listening?”

“Hm?” He turned his eyes back to me, tilting his head, strands of loose hair falling into his face. _Damn, that’s cute._ Nope, not thinking about that right now.

“Nevermind-“ My voice was way too high pitched for my liking, I shook my head. “Just c’ mon, let’s get going.”

We made it to the car and both clambered inside. Shane settled in, sighing as he leaned his head against the glass. A small smile ghosted on my lips which quickly faded as I looked back at the camera sitting in my hands. I hesitated slightly, finger ghosting along with the delete button, before finally pressing it down with a quiet click.

There. Like it never happened. 

I leaned my head against the window, looking out at the dreary landscape disappear as we drove down the worn road leading back to the highway, I let out a breath of relief as the house vanished from my line of sight, an invisible veil of fear lifting off my shoulders.

Whatever it was that Shane had heard, it seemed like he had forgotten. Or maybe he hadn’t heard anything at all. He never really does seem to listen. Either way, the whole thing could get moved on from. I turned back toward Shane to inquire one more time, just in case. But he didn’t even notice I had turned around, he was looking off into the distance, not noticing yet again. I let out a dejected sigh and turned away, shutting my eyes as my forehead touched the cool glass.

~

Except Shane did notice.

His brown eyes stared into the window, not into the landscape beyond but the reflection in the glass. Through the foggy mirror, he watched his friend fall asleep across the car without turning his head. He noticed more things than Ryan tended to give him credit for. Not that he minded though, he liked keeping Ryan in the dark, at least for now until Ryan was ready.

Ryan let out a soft snore that brought a smile to Shane’s face, he turned and glanced at the smaller man, protected by the privacy of sleep. He chuckled a bit, glancing at the blank screen on the camera. He didn’t blame him for deleting it, he would have too. Or maybe he wouldn’t have. Who knows, shit with Ryan tended to make a lot less since then most things.

There was a sudden bump in the road that caused Ryan to jerk awake. Shane tensed up, almost turning away. But he didn’t. Ryan’s eyes flicked to his and Shane just offered a small smile. Ryan blushed, blinking groggily before rubbing his head where he hit it on the glass. Shane gave his shoulder a pat and Ryan hesitated, but his sleepiness overcame him and he slumped against his taller friend, falling back asleep.

Shane revelled at the warmth on his shoulder, sinking into it gratefully. He could hear Ryan’s soft little breaths shuddering between his teeth. I mean, how could he not?

After all, Shane was a very good listener.

But Ryan didn’t have to know that yet.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading!  
> Comment whatcha think cause I'm needy and like to interact with my readers!!
> 
> *Edit: this fic seems kinda popular rn (which is odd to me cause i thought it sucked!!) so if anybody is reading this and thinks they'd be interested if I wrote a hunger games au let me know. Kinda considering it


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